Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Swelling and Heartburn

Ah the joys of pregnancy... and today my calves feel like dead weight. It literally hurts to walk, especially up stairs. So many weird and unusual pregnancy issues this time around but alas.....

here are the latest pictures... they're not the most flattering but the bump is visible.




Today I went swimming and it felt SO nice. I'm looking forward to doing that more often and it will be a great way to spend time with Izzy too. A little easier than getting down on the floor for a tea party. LOL

Sunday, May 25, 2008

Happy 3rd Birthday Isabella!!!







Well my baby is 3! I can hardly believe how fast time has gone and how quickly she is growing up. What a delight she is to have and I feel so blessed that God has placed her in my care. She has such a loving and tender heart. She's smart and curious, adventurous and outgoing. She makes friends with anyone and loves people. She's creative and lively and while she tires me out... I love that she loves to keep moving. I love that she loves being outside and being with people.

Each day I'm amazed at something new she has learned... whether it's something in Tagalog from Joan (she's been teaching her body parts), to a new song, or learning what the words 'Hong Kong Disneyland' look like. (haha) She can count to ten in both English and Cantonese and even higher in English with a bit of prompting. She knows her ABC's. She can usually tell me what she's learned at church and I'm constantly blessed by the songs she sings. Her conversation skills astound me on a regular basis... the words and sentences that come out of her mouth always make me smile. I love to listen to her stories and I absolutely love how she responds to my growing belly.

She starts school at the end of August and we just paid for her books, bags, uniform, etc and it brings tears to my eyes that it is time for that. I remember moving to HK and learning that even at just a few months, I needed to be researching schools and putting her on waiting lists, etc.. and I just refused. I always said, "I have plenty of time for that.' And here it is... 3yrs later already.

I wanted this year to be special for her. She understands what a 'birthday' is and I don't know what life will be like with 2 little ones so I wanted to celebrate big this year. We had a little birthday party with her friends on Sat morning and on Sunday we took her to Disney for two days. It pretty much rained the whole time at Disney but we made the most out of it and she got a lot of attention since there weren't as many people. She got to swim with Goofy, Mickey got her some special goodies at dinner, she met Prince 'Charlie' for the 1st time. Sleeping Beauty remembered her and her grandparents spoiled her with princess goodies. She loved every minute and had this expression of joy on her face all weekend.



It's exciting to me to think about the year ahead for her. She'll have so many new experiences that I'm anxious how it will change her, the things she will learn, how she will be as a big sister, etc. But I certainly do not wish for her to grow up too much too fast.



With Mickey at Dinner

With Cinderella and Prince 'Charlie' (her favorite princess)

Her Castle Cake 

Sunday, May 18, 2008

Rubbish

The other day we were at PCC (a coffee shop) and Izzy was throwing things away when she looked down and saw some garbage that she couldn't reach. So she looked at Uncle David and said, 'Please give me the rubbish.' Rubbish???? What country is this girl from? :) I about died, I couldn't believe it but she does say quite a few words with more of a British accent but I guess that's what to be expected when the majority of westerners she's around are from the UK. I know this is totally random but I do not want to forget this... it was just priceless to me and it just makes me smile every time I think about.

It really excites me to know that she'll have such an amazing worldview if we continue to live overseas. And I constantly have to remind myself that all she knows is Hong Kong life... she has no understanding what it's like to live anywhere else and what differences in her childhood that will bring in comparison to mine. There are some things that I have a hard time dealing with (in regards to living overseas/in HK in particular) and her growing up but then there are so many amazing things that she'll get to experience/learn/etc... that I wouldn't change either.

I just pray that I will be sensitive to her in regards to what it's like growing up in HK and not expect her to be totally Americanized in her ways. That I will help her to see the amazing opportunities she has by living in a place like HK and help her to pursue those. That I will help her to understand why we are living in HK and that she would see the joy of following God wherever He leads and that she would follow Him in the same way.

So I guess for the next few years, I'll just enjoy watching what she picks up from others... what words she tends to use and how she says them, what foods she prefers, watching the relationships with friends develop and who she loves to spend time with, etc... and delight in how blessed she is to grow up in such a diverse city.

Friday, May 09, 2008

It's a small world

really... it's so crazy. This morning I met another teacher at our school and guess where he's from??? Pittsburgh! How crazy is that? He knows the high-school I went to and was even friends with a few students I went to school with. It was so interesting to hear his story and how he ended up in Hong Kong. A few months ago, I learned that a student I graduated with is also living in Hong Kong but he's in business and on the Island so chances of me ever running into him are slim to none. But anyway... it's just neat to know when most of the Westerners I meet are from UK or Canada.